History[]
S.T.R.I.K.E. (the Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies) was a paramilitary task force set up by the British government as its answer to the American S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters for International Espionage, Law enforcement Division).
Led by Commander Lance Hunter, S.T.R.I.K.E. faced its baptism of fire when Hunter's duplicitous second-in-command Tod Radcliffe turned out to be an agent of the Nazi war criminal known as the Red Skull. This led to a major incident involving Captain America, Captain Britain and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury trying to free James Callaghan, the prime minister, whom the Skull had kidnapped.
With Hunter busy dangling from Big Ben in an attempt to disarm a germ bomb, Fury led a squadron of S.T.R.I.K.E. members wearing jet packs in a thrilling aerial battle against the Red Skull's troops over London's Docklands. S.T.R.I.K.E. ended up bombing the Red Skull's base and the super-computer it contained into smithereens, and in the confusion caused by their attack the neo-Nazis holding the prime minister were distracted enough for him to escape.
Years later, S.T.R.I.K.E. recruited Captain Britain's sister, the psychic Betsy Braddock, to its psi-division. The gang boss known as Vixen then hired the assassin Arcade to wipe the group out, a job he subcontracted to the Slaymaster.
Captain Britain defeated Slaymaster and saved his sister and her two surviving colleagues, Tom Lennox and Alison Double. The traumatised psychics understandably parted company with S.T.R.I.K.E., which shortly afterwards was disbanded and replaced by the R.C.X. (Resources Control Executive). These acronyms get increasingly desperate after a while, don't they?
Powers and abilities[]
Powers
Some of its members are psychic.
Abilities
Armed combat; monitoring neo-Nazi activity in Britain.
Strength level
Collectively, superhuman.
Weaknesses
An agent of the Red Skull managed to penetrate the highest echelons of the organisation, suggesting that it urgently requires a rigorous overhaul of its recruitment strategy.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Command board with flashing lights; large map of the world on the wall; physi-scanner (in medical facility).
Transportation
Flying car; pneumatic shuttle (transport to undersea air base); fighter jets; jet packs.
Weapons
Guns; missiles (in fighter jets).
Trivia[]
Given the fact that Lance Hunter's hair is long enough to cover his ears, S.T.R.I.K.E.'s dress code must be less rigid than that of the rest of the armed forces.
Links[]
- Appearances of S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies)
- Character Gallery: S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies)
- Images that feature S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies)
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Discover and Discuss[]
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